The present invention is directed to a holder for a fishing pole and, more particularly, a collapsible fishing pole holder that can be carried by the fishing pole handle for convenience of use.
Fishing rod holders are known in the prior art for holding a fishing rod and allowing multiple rods to be used at once by a single fisherman. Some fishing rod holders are mounted on boats and have a generally cylindrical body that allows a fishing rod to be easily inserted and removed from the holder to allow a fisherman to take control of the rod to land a fish.
Other known rod holders are used for holding a fishing pole in the ground, for example, along the bank of a river. Fishing rod holders of the latter type include a spring biased rod mounted inside a handle of a fishing rod which telescopically extends out of the handle end for insertion into the ground. Another known type includes a removable attachment cylinder and a folding blade that is inserted into the ground to hold a fishing rod. When the holder is no longer needed the cylindrical body is easily removed from the fishing rod handle and can be folded to fit into a tackle box or pocket for storage. However, such removable and/or complex fishing rod holders are not permanently attached to a fishing rod handle and are often forgotten and not ready for use. In addition, conventional fishing rod holders having a folding blade have sliding, loose pivotal connections where the folding blade is able to slide axially relative to the handle. Such loose pivotal arrangements require additional locking elements to hold the folding blade in desired positions and the inherent looseness of such connections increases noise. The resulting sloppiness of the holder reduces consumer confidence in the structural integrity of the device.
The present invention is directed to a fishing pole holder having a relatively movable ground engaging member for pivotal attachment to the end of the fishing pole handle, the ground engaging member being selectively movable from an unextended storage position to an extended working position, said ground engaging member having a generally arcuate cross-section and tapering in both length and height and having an arcuate distal end for insertion into the ground.
The present invention further includes a fishing pole holder having a main body adapted to be attached to a distal end of the fishing pole handle, a ground engaging member pivotally connected to the main body for movement from an unextended storage position to an extended working position, a ground engaging member having a generally arcuate cross-section and tapering in both length and height and having an arcuate distal end for insertion into a ground surface.
The present invention further includes a fixed pivot connection between the ground engaging member and the fishing pole handle such that no unwanted looseness is present in the fishing pole holder. For example, the size of any aperture in the ground engaging member is approximately the same size as the diameter of any pivot pin or fastener that is utilized for creating a pivot joint. Having a relatively tight pivot joint also helps hold the ground engaging member in a desired position without the need for additional locking elements, as in the prior art.
The present invention further includes a generally arcuate distal end on the ground engaging member to prevent possible injury to a user, yet still provide adequate insertion properties when the ground engaging member is inserted into a ground surface. Moreover, an arcuate end shape provides improved strength for the ground engaging member to be inserted without deformation to the tip.
Preferably, the ground engaging member of the present invention is permanently connected to a handle of a fishing pole to eliminate any chance of losing the fishing pole holder and provide improved convenience to a fisherman by eliminating the need to carry a separate pole holder and eliminate the time required to assemble the pole to a holder.